


10 Things Harry Loves About Louis Tomlinson

by tuneinmymind



Series: 10 Things series [2]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-08
Updated: 2013-01-08
Packaged: 2017-11-24 05:31:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/630972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tuneinmymind/pseuds/tuneinmymind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Summary: There were a million things Harry loves about Louis Tomlinson, some small, others extremely prominent in Louis’ character, but Harry had narrowed his list down to just ten. Larry Stylinson.</p>
            </blockquote>





	10 Things Harry Loves About Louis Tomlinson

1\. How Louis Constantly Wears Stripes

Harry loved seeing Louis in stripes; the pattern just fit him like a glove, accentuating all of his best physical attributes.

Harry lost count of how many striped shirts Louis owns a long time ago, the number far surpassing one hundred.

In fact, Louis had an entire section in their enormous closet just for his stripes.

Not only did Harry love seeing Louis in stripes, but he also enjoyed watching Louis’ reaction when he “borrowed” one of the horizontally patterned item of clothing.

Louis’ eyes would darken with a lustful possession, his inner animalistic side emerging at the sight of Harry in his favorite clothing.

Louis wasn’t the only one who loved seeing Harry wearing Louis’ clothing, the fans appreciated the hints of the hidden Larry Stylinson relationship.

It became a game between Harry and Louis, wearing each others clothing and seeing who could get the most reactions.

Louis loved this teasing of the fans with their hidden love, especially before they came out publically.

“If only they really knew the truth,” Louis would muse, looking through recent Tumblr posts.

His dash was filled with pictures from their most recent show, where Harry had worn Louis’ trademark white shirt with black stripes.

The comments were scarily accurate, musing how Larry was not simply a bromance, but in fact, true love.

The pictures had also managed to capture a true Larry moment on camera, although the fans would never know, and Harry remembered his exact thoughts during the captured moments.

They were performing their new hit single, Big City Dreams, and Niall had just started the second verse.

“Can’t turn away, don’t wanna hide, if I beg you to stay, would you remain by my side? I just need to hear you say, you’ll be forever mine,” Niall’s Irish accent rung through the stadium and Harry almost missed his cue as he looked at Louis, the words describing their relationship down to the ball.

He was tired of hiding, the secrets were just another weight on his young shoulders.

Louis always teased Harry that his worrying gave him bad posture, for Harry did slouch a lot, but as Harry watched Louis, the older boys’ replacement striped shirt brining out the blue in his eyes, Harry wanted nothing more than to tell the world that Louis Tomlinson was _his_.

“But the time isn’t right,” Louis kept saying.

“How will we know when the time _is_ right, though?” Harry questioned.

“We just will,” Louis always replied, as sure as the stripes on his shirt.

And Harry let it go because he always trusted Louis with everything, almost unhealthily so.

If Louis said let’s fly, Harry would try; if he asked why, Harry would never lie; if he said die, Harry wouldn’t stop to question him or even tell the rest of the world goodbye.

Harry loved Louis and the striped shirts represented this love because the lines were steady, unwavering, straight, extending on and on forever.

Harry loved Louis in stripes because of this reminder, and it was simply an added bonus that Louis looked absolutely dashing in the pattern.

2\. Louis’ Vibe

Harry could barely even describe Louis’ vibe, the older boys’ aura simply glowed, golden and shining and oh so lovely…

It was in the way Louis would move, his body flowing and natural, sunny and bright.

It was in the way he spoke, voice light and tone lilting, Harry could practically hear the smiles and laughter as Louis’ voice bounced up and down with his words.

It was in the way Louis sang and danced, the two seamlessly reacting with one another, his singing tone so different from any of the other boys’, underrated, Harry thought. His dancing bounced off of his singing, the movements caused by certain ups and downs in the music.

It was beautiful to watch, and Harry found himself watching Louis during shows, the older boys’ movements graceful, happy, and carefree, just so…Louis.

Harry had never met anyone like Louis, no one with such a warm vibe.

Harry relied on vibes; it was all about the vibe.

He trusted his gut completely, and some may consider this a bad thing, but Harry had never once been wrong, so he continued to follow these vibes.

Harry remembered when he first met Louis, on the X-factor.

It was near the beginning of the show, during boot camp.

They were all taking a lunch break, and Harry was really worried about his upcoming solo, so he decided to stay back and work on his piece.

At the time, he believed himself to be alone, so he began to belt out the song, uncaring, his voice raw with passion that he usually hid in front of others.

“That was beautiful,” a voice interrupted the last reverberations of the song as Harry finished, causing the curly haired boy to jump with a slight, “Oh!”

“Sorry,” the boy continued, flipping his then straight, brown hair from his eyes and tugging his striped shirt down to reveal a prominent collarbone. “I forgot something and then I heard you singing and I had to listen.” He smiled at Harry, teeth flashing pearly white, an infectious grin. “I’m Louis, by the way, Louis Tomlinson.”

Harry couldn’t describe the feeling that spread through the room in those few moments when Louis was speaking; in fact, he still couldn’t put the feeling to words.

He barely remembers replying, “Thanks…I’m Harry Styles.”

All he could recall from the initial meeting was thinking, _I need to know him_ , and feeling oddly attracted to the strange, beautiful boy.

He felt calm, at peace, but strangely rejuvenated, fresh, something that he had been lacking because of the stress of the competition.

It was as if he had been lifted high above any worries or fears, and was left to float there in an ethereal realm.

Ever since their initial meeting, Harry still felt that same glorious feeling whenever Louis was around.

It increased during different moments, the strength fluxing and undulating depending on what the pair was doing, but it was always there, a pulsing backbeat.

And this feeling, it was all Louis, _so much Louis_ , and Harry never wanted to let him go, scared of the darkness that would come without the light of Louis’ vibe, his own personal sun.

Harry simply couldn’t stand to even think about a life without Louis because Louis completed him, made him happy, and was the sole reason Harry lived.

At first, he thought it was unhealthy, to be so attached to someone, but as Louis proved to be utterly trustworthy, Harry knew it was okay, this dependence.

Harry knew it was alright to love someone so much, so completely, because Louis glowed brighter every single day, and eventually Harry realized what made Louis so special, why his vibe was addicting, so intoxicating.

It was Louis’ love, his love for _everything_ , for life, for friends, for family, and especially, _for Harry_.

3\. Louis’ Bum

Louis’ bum was round, to say the least; touchable, begging to be squeezed.

He strutted with a certain, confident swagger, fully holding Harry’s attention every time he moved.

Louis knew what he did to the younger boy, so whenever he walked by, he would put an extra sway in his hips, the cheeks of his bum jiggling slightly.

Harry didn’t try to hide his blatant appreciative gaze that stayed trained on Louis’ arse, but he did attempt to hide his groans whenever Louis acknowledged how Harry watch him; often turning with a smirk and a cheeky eyebrow raise, eyes flickering down to the half-hardened bulge straining against Harry’s blue jeans.

Harry would call Louis a tease, but it wouldn’t be entirely true, for the older boy never failed to follow through with his promiscuous flirtations, with warm lips or tugging hands bringing Harry to an ecstatic release.

This didn’t mean, though, that Harry’s attraction to Louis’ bum didn’t bring about some extremely awkward circumstances, especially around the other boys in the years before they announced their relationship.

_2011_

_The boys had the night off, but decided to relax, instead of going out, and with the exception of Liam, who was with Danielle, they were all watching television in Harry and Louis’ flat; Zayn sitting in the brown leather loveseat while Harry, Louis, and Niall squeezed on their corduroy couch._

_“Really, Harry,” Zayn spoke, “I don’t get what you find attractive about her. She’s old enough to be your mom!”_

_Zayn was talking about Caroline Flack, Harry’s supposed new “fuck buddy,” the topic coming up after a picture of the two of them together came on the evening news._

_Harry hadn’t bothered telling any reporters, or even the boys other than Louis, that he and Caroline were only friends, letting the public speculate about their relationship, and Caroline went along with it, enjoying the extra media attention._

_The two were only friends, although Harry did enjoy spending time with her strictly as friends, the older woman proving to be a total blast, her personality much like Louis’- fun and spontaneous._

_Louis, who had been conversing with Niall about which movie they should watch, their conversation sounding more like an argument as Louis wanted to watch The Lion King and Niall was vying for Finding Nemo, chose to stand up once Zayn brought up Caroline, and walked over to the bookshelf, bending over at the waist to reach a movie on the bottom shelf._

_His pants slipped without the help of a belt to hold them up, revealing a dark grey pair of Topman boxers that hugged his back cheeks in a dangerously tight manner._

_“She’s fit,” Harry replied with a shrug, not really focusing on his conversation with Zayn as his eyes were trained on Louis’ arse, the curve of his bottom under the tight boxer briefs requiring his full attention; all thoughts of anything, or anyone, else falling away as his eyes were filled with images of Louis’ bare bottom._

_Louis, feeling Harry’s eyes on him, took an extra long time finding the movie he was searching for at the bookshelf, his ass hanging in the air for a good minute before he extended his body to its full height and turned to face Harry with a cheeky smirk._

_Harry felt his dick harden halfway, only a slight, uncomfortable strain at this point, and moved his hand to his lap so that the other two boys wouldn’t notice._

_This was the second mistake of the night, the first being that he watched Louis bend over (thoughts of fucking the older boy into oblivion as he bent over their bed fresh in his mind), for when his hand brushed on his lap it made his cock strain even more against its confines, the light pressure proving to be too much stimulation for his sensitive member._

_Thankfully, Zayn realized that Harry’s mind was otherwise preoccupied, and began to talk with Niall about going shopping the next morning, leaving Harry to his dirty thoughts._

_Louis realized Harry’s current predicament the moment he moved his hand to his lap, and stood there, cherry red lips turned up in an evil grin, pink tongue moving out of his moist mouth to lick his lips slowly, tantalizing._

_Harry was almost fully hard at this point, the bulge in his jeans noticeable if any of the other boys were to look, and he let out a low groan, “Fuckkk.”_

_Zayn and Niall chose this moment to halt their conversation, the moan echoing through the silence of the flat, and both boys turned their heads sharply to look at Harry, whose eyes had flickered back to the television, unaware of what was even on the screen._

_Louis let out a laugh, sauntering over to Harry and flopping next to him, teasing, “You alright Hazza?” out loud, and then, leaning in to whisper in his ear so the other boys couldn’t hear, “Let’s go to the bathroom, I could suck you off if you’d like.”_

_Harry was bright red, his face flushing further as Zayn’s eyes flashed down to his lap, to the t.v., and then back._

_“You aren’t seriously turned on by this are you?” he asked indignantly, a curious look of disgust rising on his face._

_“Wha-?” Harry said, turning to look at the raven-haired boy, green eyes wide like a kittens, blush standing out on his lovely pale skin._

_Zayn raised his eyebrows, jabbing his head toward the flat screen, “It’s a news story about a seventy year old grandmother who lives with her fifteen cats…”_

_Harry chuckled, but the noise came out as more of a strangled choke, and he cleared his throat, speechless, before Louis chose to speak for him, throwing an arm around Harry’s shoulder and tugging him close so that their bodies were flushed together, the heat of Louis’ torso seeping through Harry’s thin, white t-shirt and onto his body._

_“Our baby Hazza here just has a thing for cats, what can I say?” Louis teased, smirk even more prominent as he joked, causing Harry to send a sharp jab into the older boys’ side._

_“How- what- why are you so calm about- you know what, I’m not even going to ask,” Zayn sputtered, blinking his eyes shut as he turned away, gaze falling back on the spotless screen, where the images of Dory and Nemo were swimming on the television, the menu of Finding Nemo popping up._

_“Awww, Nialler! Any movie but this!” Louis cried dramatically at Niall, who had chosen the distraction to insert his movie into the dvd player._

_“I’m- uh- going to go deal with...this,” Harry muttered, rising from the couch and exiting the room quickly, finding his way to the bathroom._

_He shut the door, locking it, and his hand unzipped his pants and yanked down his boxers rapidly, a groan falling from his parted lips as his hand wrapped around his pulsing member._

_After a minute or so, Harry was close to coming, the lower pit of his stomach tightening, and he jumped at the sound of a knock on the door._

_“Harry?” Louis’ voice came, muffled a little through door. “Let me in!”_

_Harry’s free hand moved to let Louis in, the older boy entering the small bathroom, shutting the door with a click, his eyes twinkling as he took in the image of Harry wanking with his pants and boxers heaped up at the base of his legs._

_He fell to his knees, and Harry groaned as Louis’ mouth, warm and moist, enveloped his aching cock._

_“Louu, I’m- I’m already so- close-,” he moaned, hands finding their way into Louis’ soft brown hair, and Louis took more in, Harry’s sensitive head hitting the back of Louis’ throat. “Not gonna last much- longer- ohh.”_

_Louis continued sucking and licking, slowing down and speeding up, bring Harry to the brink of release, stopping, and then back to the edge multiple times before his tempo increased, making it difficult of Harry not to move his hips._

_Harry moaned again as Louis’ hand found its way to the base of his cock, spreading cum around the lower end of his shaft, his fingers getting covered with the warm liquid._

_He groaned when the hand fell away, but shivered as Louis pulled him closer with one hand, taking Harry deeper in his mouth, and then, Harry felt a finger push into his back hole, Louis’ cum-covered finger slipping in easily, and he came with a shudder, ecstasy blinding him with streaks of heat and electric waves._

_“Louuu,” the older boys’ name fell from Harry’s lips as Louis milked the orgasm out of the younger boy. “Fuckk, Lou.”_

_Louis stood up, pressing a salty kiss to Harry’s lips, and turned to the sink, washing his hands and mouth._

_“I’ll go out first, I told the boys I needed to call my mom,” Louis said, grinning as Harry pulled up his boxers and jeans, a blissful blank look spread on his face._

_Harry waited, and leaned over the sink, splashing cold water over his face and drying it off with a scratchy towel, then, yanked the door open, joining the other boys who were lost in the world of fishes and oceans._

_Louis squeezed his thigh lovingly, and Zayn just raised his eyebrows again knowingly, but unknowing of exactly what happened in the bathroom minutes previous._

_“Louis’ mom misses you, Hazza. You gonna try to tap that too, mate?” Zayn jabbed, laughing at his own hints of cougar jokes directed toward the younger boy._

_Harry, however, ignored his teasing, sinking into Louis’ side with a content smile on his face._

This wasn’t the first, or last, time that Louis’ ass caused Harry to act in a lust-ridden haze, but Harry never complained about the embarrassing situations, enjoying the way Louis’ bum rounded under his clothing too much to be mad, especially when Louis wore braces, the straps tugging his pants up until they rode dangerously tight on his arse.

And Louis, also, loved Harry’s affinity for squeezing his bum, his high-pitched giggles floating through the air, bringing a grin to Harry’s face every time.

So, if anything, Harry’s love for Louis’ bum just provided an extra, surprising twist to their sex life, and Harry definitely couldn’t do anything but appreciate his arse even more for that reason.

4\. How Louis cares for his sisters.

There was almost nothing else that turned Harry on more than seeing the way Louis cared for his sisters, not even Louis’ bum.

Not in the perverted I-see-you-with-your-sisters-and-just-want-to-fuck-your-brains-out way, but in one that touched a deep, integral part of him.

There was something so…touching about seeing Louis with his sisters.

It was cute, the way he would do anything, often embarrassing himself, to make them laugh.

But he was also mature, responsible, making sure everyone had what she needed and that no one got upset.

Harry could remember the first time meeting Louis’ family.

Jay wanted to go out with some friends, and the boys were on their break, so she begged Louis and Harry to spend the afternoon and night taking care of the girls.

“They miss you so much, Lou! And Harry, Louis talks about you so often that they’re dying to meet the man who they claim stole their big brothers’ heart.”

Harry had no objections, wanting to meet the family who raised Louis Tomlinson, and only had qualms about whether or not they’d like him.

Louis, however, was beyond worried, whining, “Isn’t it too soon to meet my family?”

But of course, this occurred before they began dating, so Harry retorted with a teasing remark like “wow Lou, it sounds like you’re introducing me as your boyfriend or something.”

But regardless of how much Louis complained and ranted, at around 1 p.m., Harry and Louis found themselves arriving at Louis’ childhood home.

It was a warm day, surprisingly nice for autumn, the rain clearing for the week and the sticky air causing their clothes to cling at their skin.

The green grass in front of Louis’ old home swayed in the gentle breeze, tickling the splintered wood of an old mailbox painted white with flowers and a couple swirly, gold numbers.

Louis parked on the street, taking a moment before getting out of the car, and suddenly, it was Harry who was wondering if this was such a good idea or not, the thought of meeting The Tomlinson Family now a daunting one.

Louis seemed to have put his fears behind him as he opened Harry’s door for him with a loud laugh, the comfort of his childhood home freeing him a little.

“You’re looking a little pale there, Haz. C’mon, it’s okay, they don’t bite,” Louis teased, reaching in the car to tug Harry from where he was frozen on the leather seat. Harry was about to exit the car when Louis added, “Well, not usually…”

At this, Harry froze, his worries crashing down around him again, and his green eyes were wide as a deer in headlights, a wrinkle forming in his brow as he thought of all the possible outcomes for the afternoon, all of them ending with the Tomlinson’s hating him.

“What- what if- Lou…what if they don’t like me?”

His voice was so meek and timid, lacking its usual confidence so greatly that Louis, too, froze, shocked that Harry was actually worried.

He wanted to tease the younger boy for being so silly (what wasn’t to love about the curly-haired lad?), but as he realized that Harry wasn’t moving, and that fear seemed to be gripping at him, Louis tried to assuage his worries.

“Haz, you’ve met my mother, and she absolutely adores you. There is no reason that the girls will be any different. Besides, just flash that charming smile of yours and you’ll daze them long enough that they’ll have no choice but to fall in love with you,” Louis paused, and before he could continue, a shout came from across the lawn.

“Louis!! Mum, Louis’ here!”

And before long, Louis was pulling Harry from the car, yanking him across the lawn, where he promptly let go of Harry’s hand, to catch the two blurs that were flying across the grass, hurtling themselves into his arms.

Harry stood there awkwardly as two more girls, looking eerily like Louis, ran slightly slower to their older brother, shouting their owns cries of happiness at the sight of Louis.

Jay joined them shortly after, ignoring her son, who was still wrapped up in multiple forms of embraces from the girls with a goofy smile on his face, and pulled Harry into a warm hug.

“Hello dear,” Jay smiled, running a motherly hand through his hair and turning to Louis and the girls, she scolded, “Girls, did you say hi to Harry?”

Four sets of big blue eyes immediately turned to Harry, all chatter ending, and Louis stood there smirking, as if saying, “I told you so,” because Harry had tried to give the girls’ his best “dazzling” smile.

The two smallest, Phoebe and Daisy Harry assumed, turned back into Louis’ legs, hiding behind him, suddenly shy.

The older two smiled back, showing even more resemblance to their older brother, before introducing themselves.

“Hi Harry. I’m Felicite…” the slightly shorter one said, flipping her dirty blonde hair out of her eyes, and Harry was overwhelmed with nervousness that he’d say, or do, the wrong thing.

“…and I’m Lottie,” the other girl finished, smiling brightly before doing a little nose scrunch that she must have picked up from Louis because he did the exact same thing constantly.

Harry nodded, gulped, and spoke, “He- hello. I’m Harry, I mean- obviously you knew that cause you just called me as such and well I’m in a band with your brother so why wouldn’t you know that but I guess I figured it’d be the proper thing to do, ya know? Tell you my name because you told me yours…”

Louis laughed at Harry’s rambling, a trait the younger boy was known to have, especially when nervous, and pushing the two little twins away from his legs, he bent down to whisper something in their ears in a hushed voice.

Harry took this time to look at the twins’ outfit, noticing that both were wearing the same polka-dotted dress, only in different colors, one light pink and the other baby blue, little bowties holding back hair that fought to break free of its confines.

The one in pink grinned up at Louis, nodding, and they both turned back to Harry with their innocent big blue eyes before running at full speed toward him, launching themselves from the ground when they reached a safe enough distance.

At first he had no idea what to do, watching the little hurtling bodies as they flew toward him, time slowing, until he spread his arms wide just in time to catch the twins, who giggled as they clung to him, one on each side.

Harry stood there, swaying under the sudden added weight, green eyes wide, jaw dropped open in shock as the entire Tomlinson fans erupted into peals of laughter.

Eventually, Jay calmed down enough to usher everyone into the house before spewing instructions to Harry and Louis and rushing out at the sound of a car horn beeping twice.

And that, was when the real fun began because the girls, apparently, had been acting good for Jay, as if to show their mother that they would be well-behaved Louis and Harry.

Which is how, about ten minutes later, Harry found himself in a pink princess dress that was much too tight and showed too much hairy leg and broad shoulders, a glittering tiara that was leaving sparkles in his curly hair, and obscene amounts of horribly placed lipstick and eyeliner, all thanks to the twins, who, although seemed to be quite sweet, turned out to be little trouble makers.

Louis, of course, was no help, instead taking out his phone and taking as many pictures as possible, claiming it’d be “useful blackmail for later.”

The two older sisters were no better than the younger ones, teasing Harry and Louis about anything and everything, their eyes twinkling with mirth.

But, as the dysfunctional group sat down to eat dinner, which Harry made seeing as Louis could not cook to save his life, Harry saw just how _happy_ all of the girls were to have their older brother home; their smiles a little brighter and their countenances a little lighter as Louis teased, poked, and prodded them for every little detail of their lives.

The girls of course whined as Louis asked them question after question, but Harry could tell they didn’t mind him asking, and were complaining more to be melodramatic, much like their older brother, and also, to hear Louis’ indignant cries of protest when they refused to tell him something.

But it wasn’t until bedtime that Harry realized just how much he loved seeing Louis take care of his sisters.

“Loueeeh, please? One more show? Just _one more?_ ” Felicite was begging from where she was curled up in a blanket on the couch, Louis towering sternly above her and the other girls.

“No! I’ve already let you watch another. Go brush your teeth and get in bed, all of you!” Louis’ voice was relentless, seeming to allow no room for arguments, but the girls didn’t move, and Harry and Louis found themselves with four pairs of big, blue puppy eyes staring at them as if wounded by the harsh orders.

“Pleasee Lou?” the twins begged in unison, their voices rising melodically throughout the sentence, too pretty for whining, Harry thought.

Louis, however, was not amused, staring back and seemingly lost in thought for a moment before he spoke again, this time his voice lighter, “Okay how about this…you go brush your teeth, get your jammies on, and get into Lottie’s bed, where I’ll read you a story.”

Harry raised an eyebrow when the girls clapped their hands together, voices talking excitedly as they clambered from their dog pile on the couch and rushed off to the bathroom, where they could hear the sound of water rushing and tooth brushes clanging on the sink.

Louis sighed, and with shoulders sagging, he muttered, “Well, that was easy…”

Harry let out a loud laugh, and was about to pull Louis into a hug when one of the girls cried out for Louis to come because they were in bed and ready for the promised book reading.

As usual, Louis didn’t fail to entertain, reading the story “Swim the Silver Sea, Joshie Otter” dramatically, even singing the song in a voice that Harry supposed Louis intended to have been like what a mother otter’s voice would.

“Swim the silver sea, Joshie Otter, Swim on home to me, Joshie Otter, While night stirs above, Come to me, my love, And swim the silver sea, my Joshie Otter,” Louis sang, voice awfully low, but attempting to be high-pitched at the same time, causing the girls to squeal with laughter.

Harry observed from his perch on the side of the bed, as Louis interacted with his younger sisters, and couldn’t help but think that Louis was exactly the type of guy he would like to marry, as well as someone who he would want to be the father to his children.

At the time, these thoughts shocked him, because Harry believed himself to be straight as a ruler, and had only occasionally caught himself thinking of Louis in a more-than-friend way, but of course, he thought it was normal, for what guy didn’t think of their best friend in such a way _once in a while_?

But, the more he thought about it, the scarier it was, because his entire future flashed before his eyes, all scenarios including Louis, a white house glowing under the sun in the suburbs, and the loud, happy laughter of multiple children as they played.

Little did Harry know, during that first visit to Louis’ childhood home, that the very scenario he imagined after watching Louis take care of his sisters, would come true.

However, what he did know after that visit was that they would be visiting more often because Harry absolutely loved watching Louis take care of his sisters.

5\. His Eyes

Louis’ eyes were a countless number of things- beautiful, alluring, sexy, adorable…

Harry found himself staring into the older boys’ orbs, getting lost in them, and he loved it.

There was no way to describe the color, for Louis’ orbs swirled blue with specks brown and grey and green.

The blue wasn’t like the color of the sky, although it shined just as brightly, but was more like a darkened light blue.

It was a grey-blue, too, almost silvery, sparkly.

Around the iris there was a circle of brown and green, the lines spinning and making Harry dizzy every time he looked at it.

They were gorgeous eyes, and Harry felt himself engulfed in their piercing gaze often, usually by choice, but sometimes, he found himself caught, unable to look away.

And whenever he looked at Louis’ eyes, the rush of feelings overwhelmed him.

He could see his life in those eyes, bits and pieces of himself and past events and current events and futures ones all melded together in the blue-grey orbs.

He could feel the emotions pouring out of those eyes, the happiness and content and _love_ that seeped out with every look.

There were six particular instances that stuck out in Harry’s mind when he thought of how much he loved Louis’ eyes:

_He was nervous, full of jitters and shakes, his hands trembling as he clenched them against his sides._

_He couldn’t keep still, his legs bouncing his body up and down in little jolts, and the other contestants standing next to him kept glancing his way, eyes narrowed in angry glares._

_But he had made it to boot camp, which had to be the scariest, most nerve-wracking thing of his 16 years of life._

_He didn’t know what to do with himself, surrounded by strangers who wanted the same thing as he did, and he really hated how real this entire situation was becoming because if there was one thing Harry Styles greatly disliked, it was not knowing who he could trust._

_He knew that as friendly as people were being, there would be a point where competition would come first and friendship would come second for some, so he looked around the room, trying to find someone who he could stick by._

_Of course, looks wouldn’t tell you much about a person, but Harry tried regardless._

_He found a blonde haired boy with a goofy smile standing with a more serious looking brown-haired boy, with whom he thought he would enjoy spending time._

_Next he saw a raven-haired boy off to the side of the room, looking just as nervous as Harry felt, and he figured they would get along just fine._

_But then, Harry saw him._

_The boy who had caught his attention was most definitely the most beautiful boy Harry had ever seen, which is why he couldn’t look away._

_He examined every part of the unknown boy, from the flip of his hair to the beat up Toms on his feet._

_Harry didn’t even realize he was staring until the boy looked up, meeting his gaze from across the room._

_Harry wanted to look away, he was straight and just got caught staring at another boy, but his eyes were captivating and Harry was unable to look anywhere else._

_They invited him, saying, “I want to know you,” in their blue depths, and Harry found himself smiling back at the boy when his face turned up into an adorable grin._

_Little did they know of what their futures’ would hold._

_***_

_“Look at that girl crying,” Zayn whispered into Harry’s ear, the music pumping around them, adrenaline rushing through their veins as they looked out across the stadium filled with hundreds of screaming girls. “I still get used to them crying that hard over us.”_

_Harry laughed, turning to his friend with a smirk, enjoying the warmth of Zayn’s body pressed against him. It was easy to feel lonely during their performances, even if the other boys were right there with him, he always felt like they were so far away, not as close as he was used to. And Zayn rarely was this touchy or friendly, at least in front of crowds, so Harry took the opportunity to enjoy his friends company._

_Zayn, however, did not miss the glares he was receiving from Louis, pulling backs from Harry._

_“Oops,” he muttered as he put some distance between him and the curly-haired lad. “Lou’s mad.”_

_Harry looked up to see Louis crossing the stage, looking happy for the crowds sake, but blue eyes flashing possessively._

_“You. Are. Mine,” they screamed, and the more Louis’ mouth widened, the narrower his eyes got, especially as Harry cheekily smirked before pulling Zayn back to him, purposely setting Louis off even more._

_Zayn tried to protest, not wanting to get in the middle of their confusing relationship, but Harry held him close._

_“What the hell are you doing?” Zayn asked, watching the way Louis stopped in the middle of the stage, eyes still locked with Harry’s, while he sang his solo. The girls would be going crazy because of all the Larry Stylinson at the concert, and the boys would definitely get a kick out of seeing the tumblr posts later. If only they knew how true it was…_

_“Ensuring that tonight is a good one,” Harry replied swiftly, eyes not leaving Louis’, who was now hip-thrusting, his legs rolling up before his torso followed._

_“God Haz, too much information,” Zayn cried, pushing himself away from the younger boy, who just smiled cheekily. “I don’t need any details about your sex life.”_

_Harry only shrugged in response, too caught up in the clouded, darkness of Louis’ eyes and thoughts of how dominant Louis would be later._

_***_

_His hands were shaking again, much like they were on the day he first saw Louis, but this time, it wasn’t from fear or trepidation, instead, they were trembling out of excitement._

_This was it._

_They were getting married._

_Fucking finally, Harry thought, his grin blinding as it split across his face, his teeth shining in the light._

_He had waited so long for this day, too long, it felt._

_He was finally going to be able to show the world that Louis Tomlinson was his, officially his._

_And as they said their vows and I do’s and slipped matching rings on each other’s fingers, Harry’s eyes never left Louis’, he was captivated by them, completely entranced and lost in the world that was Louis Tomlinson’s eyes._

_Today they screamed to Harry the one emotion he was feeling._

_“I love you,” they were shouting, pulling him into the warmth, the feeling washing over him and spreading through his veins like fire, hot, burning, alluring as it flickered and licked into every crevice and pore, filling the cracks and healing the hurts and pains._

_“I love you, Lou,” Harry murmured softly before pulling the older boy into their first kiss as husband and husband._

_***_

_The heavy bass of the club was beating, blaring and pumping, as bodies pressed against bodies, the smell of sweat and alcohol heady, creating a smoky texture to the air of the dance floor that was lit with very poor lighting, allowing people to lose themselves in the darkness._

_One couple, in particular, was gone, wrapped up in their own world, not noticing or caring about anything other than each other._

_Harry loved dancing with Louis, the feel of the other boys’ hips pressed up against his, moving in time with the music, was dangerously enticing, and Harry felt himself harden against Louis’ pelvis._

_“Fuck, Lou,” Harry groaned, trying to close the space between them even more, tugging Louis to him, his hands tight on the older boys’ sides, fingers digging into his stomach over the thin barrier of a striped cotton shirt._

_Louis looked up, eyes dark with lust and desire, and Harry had never felt more wanted, the feather-haired boys’ expression turning him on further, his blue eyes conveying everything Harry felt._

_“I want you and only you,” they were keening, begging for Harry to lean in, to capture Louis’ lips with his own, to tug and nip without a care in the world, and Harry felt himself following the request, pressing his lips against Louis’ with a needy desperation, almost wishing they were back home in their flat so that he could have his way with the older boy, almost man now._

_Louis moaned into the kiss, immediately responding with his own licks and presses, and their eyes were locked, hips still moving with the alluring beat._

_Louis didn’t even have to speak as he tried to convey what he wanted, his eyes telling all as Harry broke the kiss, and panting, tugged Louis through the crowd, making his way out of the club so that they could go home._

_Desire flashed through Louis’ eyes, settling in until the light blue-grey orbs were nearing a navy._

_Yes, Harry thought, desire is a very nice emotion, especially on Louis._

_***_

_Harry could feel the tears filling up his lower lids, pressing heavily behind them, waiting to fall from their precarious position._

_He blinked, and smiled a watery grin, leaning into Louis heavily with a content smile._

_“Look at her,” Louis cooed, wrapping an arm around his husband and leaning so that his face was almost pressed up against the glass window that separated them from their newborn daughter. “She has your eyes.”_

_“Damn,” Harry replied, eyes flickering between Louis and the adorable baby girl, who was watching her dad’s with wide eyes as the nurses cleaned her off. “I wanted her to have your eyes.”_

_Louis laughed, turning to face his husband, mirth dancing on every surface of his face._

_“I love you,” he murmured, and his eyes were twinkling with it._

_“Look how far we’ve come,” they were smiling, and Harry felt warm tears fall freely from the confines of his eyelids, jetting down his face in little, slow-moving streams._

_“I love you, too.”_

_***_

_“Always and forever,” the blue orbs were crying to him. “ **Always and forever**.”_

_“In celebration of 50 years of undying love that will never be matched by anyone,” Liam was saying, holding up his glass as he gave a toast and Harry had a hard time paying attention to his best mate as his eyes locked with Louis, doing the all too familiar dance, the one they had been doing together for the past fifty years and longer._

_Their orbs were connected, twinkling and sparkling as they gazed into each others’ eyes, blue locked with green, one being, **always and forever**._

_“I love you,” Harry mouthed, and Louis’ eyes conveyed it all, love shining, lighting up the room, making Harry feel just as he did when he was 18 and young and innocent and naïve, meeting Louis’ blue orbs for the first time and wondering who the heck that beautiful boy was._

_Harry was consumed with the feeling, the awe and shock that he felt every time he really thought about the fact that Louis Tomlinson was his, Harry Styles’ husband, **always and forever.**_

Harry thought it would go away, the feelings that overwhelmed every part of his being whenever he looked into Louis’ eyes, but it was always the same, the same all-consuming emotions that filled his body and rushed through his veins- _lovelovelove_ \- and Harry loved it, making sure to catch his lovers’ eyes at every chance, getting high off of the feelings those gorgeous, blue orbs pulled from deep within his body.

 

 

6\. His Love for Life

To the fans, Niall was often viewed as the one who loved life, and while this was true, Louis was the one who truly relished each and every moment.

Harry absolutely adored how much Louis loved life, and his heart grew lighter whenever he watched Louis’ face light up in awe when something occurred, whether it was a common occurrence or not.

When the saying YOLO went viral, Harry got extreme amounts of amusement from Louis’ opinion on the matter.

“You see,” Louis would say, his arms flailing as he spoke, “I’m a little torn because the idea of YOLO is excellent, I mean you really do only live _once_ , but then all these people use it as like, “YOLO, I’m just going to party all the time,” but I think it should be more of like, “YOLO, I’m going to make the most of my opportunities because I’m only getting them once.” In fact, my life motto is just going to be YOLL, instead of YOLO. You Only Love Life. Pronounced like pole.”

Harry would laugh at Louis’ antics only to receive an indignant glare and a high pitched whine.

“I’m being serious, Curly!” Louis would cry, the twinkle in his eyes enough for Harry to know he wasn’t really angry at all.

And then, Harry would appease the other boy, complimenting, “I know, I know, you’re just too cute though, Tommo.”

Louis, of course, knew Harry’s tactics, but his face would soften into a lovely smile nevertheless.

But Louis’ love for life would seep into all other aspects of his life, as well.

With music, for example, there was never a show at which Louis couldn’t be seen without a smile, especially when he really thought about what they were doing.

“Wow, this is our _life_ ,” Louis would say after every show, his smile blinding as his slim body bounced up and down with energy that should have been spent while they bounded around the stage.

Everything was glorious to Louis; simply another day living was made the most precious thing in the world.

Even more so, another day with Harry was the most cherished event, and eventually, this rubbed off on Harry, who began to appreciate Louis’ love for life more and more, especially with every whispered, “I love you.”

Louis’ love for life just seemed to further Harry’s love for Louis, and neither boy would have it any other way.

7\. His Biceps

They were toned.

They were tan.

And they exuded strength, masculinity, and pure _sexiness._

While Harry believed Louis to be one of the most _beautiful_ creatures on Earth, he could also say honestly that the feather-haired boy had two of the most attractive biceps.

Louis’ biceps rivaled Liam’s, who was known to go to the gym almost every day.

Harry loved watching the caramel skin’s smooth movements and the built up muscle flex whenever Louis’ arms moved, even if it was just to flail around madly.

And, while it might surprise many people, Louis worked hard to keep his arms in prime condition, and the schedule that surrounded his workouts provided Harry with a comfortable familiarity, seeing as the older boy would go through the same steps before and after he left for the gym.

Harry was waiting for this, as he thought about things he loved about Louis.

“Hazza!” Louis soon cried from somewhere in the house, voice muffled by the separation of rooms. “I’m going to the gym, would you like to come?”

It was almost two in the afternoon, and Harry was sitting in the kitchen, reading a newspaper with a steaming cup of tea.

The boys had the day off, and both were enjoying their old routine.

“No thanks, went earlier,” Harry mumbled back, only glancing up from the paper quickly to see Louis in his basketball shorts and fitted t-shirt, Nike shoes falling untied on his feet.

“Pleasee?” Louis whined, jutting his lower lip out, hands on his hips in what Harry supposed was supposed to be an intimidating stance.

“Nope, I asked if you wanted to go this morning but you were busy sleeping.”

“Harry! You wore me out last night,” Louis smiled affectionately, walking over to his flatmate and plopping down on his lap, forcing Harry to drop the newspaper in order to hold the sudden weight.

Harry smirked, pinching Louis’ waist, “Go to the gym, babe. I’ll wear you out more after, yeah?”

And, like usual, Louis leaned in the peck him on the lips before jumping to his feet, resigned to the fact that Harry was perfectly content drinking his tea, although this shouldn’t be a surprise, for Harry always worked out in the morning, while Louis preferred the afternoon.

Louis never failed to ask though, hoping that maybe Harry would accept his invitation.

When Louis looked over his shoulder, Harry had picked up the newspaper again, as if nothing had happened, but the moment the older boy had exited the building, Harry was up out of his seat, going directly to the oven and turning it on, opening the fridge to take out an assortment of ingredients.

Louis was always hungry after the gym, and he turned grumpy quite quickly if he wasn’t fed right after he showered, so Harry had taken it upon himself to cook for both of them.

That day, he felt like surprising the older boy, so he made Louis’ favorite meal, his homemade fajitas.

The process was a long one, so Harry was still in front of the stove, stirring the bubbling sauce, when Louis returned, hair damp with sweat, clothes sticking to his body, his biceps trembling slightly from the work out.

Harry only smiled when he felt a pair of arms snake around his waist from behind, a chin coming to rest on his shoulder, the smell of sweat permeating through the spices that had filled the air.

“Hey, Lou,” Harry said, giggling as Louis huffed; as much as the older boy tried, he could not for the life of him sneak up on his curly-haired friend.

“How’d you know?” Louis pouted, tightening his hold and pressing small, wet kisses below Harry’s ear.

“M’magical,” Harry murmured back, lifting the wooden spoon up and blowing on the sauce, then putting it up to Louis’ mouth for the other boy to taste.

“Needs salt,” Louis stated, withdrawing his arms from their hold. “I’m going to shower, will food be ready soon?”

Harry nodded as he held back a knowing grin because sure enough, Louis wanted food.

“Good, I’m starved!”

Not fifteen minutes later, Louis had emerged from the bathroom, boxer briefs hanging low on his hips, chest shirtless with drops of water dribbling lonesome down smooth skin, as he rubbed a towel over damp hair.

“That was fast,” Harry remarked, usually Louis spent hours in the shower, so long that Harry had to tell him the food was getting cold in order to get him out from under the warm, relaxing spray.

“You made fajitas!”

Harry admired the way Louis’ arms flexed, the muscles rippling all the way to his pectorals.

“Babe, eyes up here,” Louis smirked cheekily, squirming under Harry’s piercing gaze, shivers crawling up his spine as the younger lad eyed his naked body.

If he had clothes on, Louis imagined it would feel as if Harry was undressing him with his eyes, but seeing as he was basically naked, standing in only his boxers, Louis didn’t know what it felt like as Harry glazed over his body, and although he stayed in a state of undress after his shower specifically to taunt the younger boy, he almost wished he hadn’t.

He didn’t even realize Harry was touching him, hands on the soft skin of his waist, until he felt the cool fridge against his back, the chill on his back side conflicting with the warmth emanating from Harry on his front.

“I said I’d wear you out a little more after you worked out, didn’t I?” Harry murmured, his voice low and gravelly, words spoke slow as molasses, titillating, provocative.

The only response he received, however, was a loud growl from Louis’ stomach, but even so, Harry didn’t let up, brushing his lips softly across Louis’ chest onto his neck before finally they reached his defined jawline, hands following a similar pattern as they ran up Louis’ side until the grasped onto his biceps.

“M’hungry, Hazza!” Louis weakly protested, his body deceiving his words as he pressed closer so that they were flushed with one another.

But Harry just pulled on his biceps, using them as an anchor as he continued to kiss and suckle and bruise Louis’ skin until the older boy just gave in, the fajitas forgotten as the curly-haired boy distracted him.

This didn’t mean, of course, that he didn’t head straight for the kitchen once they finally made it out of the bedroom, moaning loudly, possibly louder than just minutes before, as the delicious dinner melted on his tongue, his arms shaking after holding Harry up against the door.

Oh yes, Harry thought, joining Louis at the dining room table, he would definitely add a comment about Louis’ biceps in this years anniversary card, perhaps asking him not to stop working out.

8\. His soft, serious side

He got in these moods some days, when it seemed he had been drained of energy; all softs sighs and soothing touches.

They didn’t happen often, but Harry always appreciated them, relishing in the quiet, comfort of Louis’ embrace.

On these days, Louis would be thoughtful, losing himself in the what-ifs and I-wishes of the world, and showing Harry a separate side, one that was often hidden away under loud jokes and playful pranks.

Today, was one of those days, Harry could tell from the moment Louis awoke, the older lad snuggling in closer to him, his feathered hair tickling against Harry’s chest as he mumbled incoherently.

It seemed Harry always thought more deeply on days off, because they did, in fact, have the day off, and he sighed contentedly, pulling his lover closer until their bodies were fully flush so that he could feeling Louis _fully_ and was close enough to press small, soft kisses all over his body.

“Mmmm,” Louis groaned sleepily back, blinking his eyes open slowly as Harry kissed down his neck.

He didn’t move much more than to just intertwine his finger’s in Harry’s curly hair, which was the one main indicator that it was going to be one of _those days_ , because usually on energetic days, Louis would be quick to take control, not that Harry minded taking a less dominant role, but it was nice, once in a while, to know he could have some control.

And of course, Harry always ended up on his back regardless, somehow Louis managed to take over, but today was one of those soft days; all quiet murmurs of love and sweet kisses and soothing touches, neither boy rushed or hurried in their movements, but rather appreciative, as if saying _I can’t believe you’re mine_ or _it’s more than just a physical feeling_ , and the feeling Harry felt the most on these days- _lovelovelove_ \- as he held Louis tightly.

Louis’ mood always continued far throughout the rest of the day, as he asked Harry if he needed this or that, or brought up some seemingly random, but always very significant, thought.

Louis would spoil him on these days, taking a care-taker role (the one Harry usually played, not that he minded), and it was always nice, being pampered and coddled by the older boy, who seemed to know exactly what Harry needed.

These days were triggered by nothing in particular, or _something_ in particular.

That day had been caused by a harsh set of lash outs from their fans, the Directioner fandom causing Harry to be pained by the stressful wish for perfection, especially after he had one of those crappy performances.

He thought that by now he wouldn’t have bad performances, they had toured so much and had years of experience under their belts, but he had a horrible night, and if the fans were any indicator, with their harsh words and hateful judgments, Harry knew management would also be calling eventually.

Louis, however, made to distract Harry from this, and did everything he could to show Harry that _it was alright_ and _no one is perfect_.

His favorite part of these types of days was what would happen at some point or another, Harry would never know when it was coming, but it always did.

“Haz?” Louis would say, toying with the curly-haired boy’s wild hair.

He put a pause in each time, falling silent with a thoughtfulness unusual for the normally loud, rambunctious lad, but he never failed to continue, always speaking the same words, “I love you.”

That day, Louis went through this process multiple times, as if to remind Harry that if anything else, _he was loved_.

And in the end, that was all that really mattered.

They had ignored the phone call from management, Louis stating, “They would call back later when a South Park marathon wasn’t holding their attention,” and Harry laughed loudly, cuddling closer to his lover’s warm body.

That day, in particular, stood out among his boxed memories of _those days_ (the quiet ones) because it was the day Louis had changed Harry’s life in one of the biggest ways.

More than anything, Harry had expected Louis to breach the topic of spending their lives together forever, in all senses of the words, with a loudness and jocular manner that was just…so _Louis._

More than everything, Harry hadn’t expected Louis to ask him on one of _those days_ , when he was so serious and his soft, loving side was showing.

It made sense, in Harry’s mind, that Louis would make a grand spectacle of the event- _the question,_ and he had fully prepared for this, but he didn’t prepare for what happened.

“Haz?” Louis asked for the fourth time that day, and Harry didn’t open his eyes.

“Haz?” Louis repeated again, his voice sounding from somewhere a little ways away from where Harry thought it would be, and Louis usually didn’t speak up so suddenly, so when the obligatory moments of silence were already broken, Harry knew something different was happening, and he finally opened his eyes.

Louis was kneeling next to the couch, and he smiled all the way to his blue orbs when Harry caught his eyes.

Louis didn’t speak any more, only tugging Harry from the couch and dragging him into their back yard, depositing him so that he was standing, a view of the city full of bright lights open from their balcony.

“What’s up, Lou?”

And him speaking seemed to trigger the silence, as Louis carefully observed him before bending to one knee in front of the younger lad.

“Well, you know I love you, right?” Louis began, and Harry was already smiling. “And I was wondering, if you would do me the honor of marrying me?”

Harry was already on his knees by the end of I love you, grabbing Louis’ hands in his larger ones, his grin painfully wide, eyes sparkling.

Harry half expected fireworks, or some ostentatious show like that, but Louis was so serious, his face grave, not yet smiling, and somehow, the fact that Louis didn’t take their relationship for granted, tugged at Harry’s heart, the strings lifting and pulling in every direction.

“Yes, a thousand times yes,” Harry murmured, pressing their lips together, feeling just as serious as Louis looked.

And knowing that Louis took their relationship so seriously, serious enough to be _serious_ when asking Harry to marry him, he knew saying yes would always be the right choice, _always_.

As they grew older, Harry knew it was the right choice, especially as it had been another one of those days, the quiet ones, the extra loving ones, and the ones that warmed Harry’s heart when Louis went through his usual process.

“Hey, Haz?” Louis asked, and although it was hard for him to lift his head, he still went through the struggle, a smile falling from his lips.

They had come so far, from being just kids, naïve and unaware of their fate in life, to old, still in love, _so happy_.

Now, at the age of 96, Harry felt so old, so tired, and he was glad Louis was having a peaceful day, even as they grew old the lad never failed to lose his spirit and energy, but it was the soft side, the serious side, that came out today, allowing them to simply enjoy each other’s presence.

It never ceased to amaze him, knowing that Louis Tomlinson was his, all _his_ , and would be until, well, forever.

“Yeah, Lou?”

And as Harry expected, Louis took his sweet time, their old bodies cuddling close, _one being_ , and Harry waited patiently, allowing Louis his few moments before speaking the words that both of them never failed to say.

“I love you.”

9\. His Smile

Louis smiled in two ways.

The first was this forced, almost smirk-like smile, and Harry could tell that Louis wasn’t truly smiling.

In fact, whenever Louis smiled his ‘fake’ smile, as Harry dubbed it, he was usually unhappy about something, and Harry would immediately pull the older boy aside to ask what was wrong.

He rarely got a straight answer in these situations.

The second smile was the one Harry loved.

Louis would smile wide, his bright, pearly whites gleaming behind thin pink lips, and his cheeks crinkled all the way up to his eyes, giving him a squinty look.

It was blinding, the real smile, and it lit up entire rooms, heck, entire _arenas_.

Louis would smile and suddenly everyone around him was smiling back, glee filling every nook and cranny, permeating through the air and diffusing the unhappiness from the room.

Louis smiled with the unabashed wonder of a child, all bright and excited, hopeful, and Harry tried his best to make the older lad grin at all moments of the day.

They had this game, or at least Harry did, where he would try to get Louis to smile from just a simple text.

It started on a day Louis was looking particularly down, hands wringing together in his lap, heaving sighs falling from parted lips every now and again, his eyes cast down, blue eyes just dark, not sparkling like usual.

They had just gotten in an argument with management about coming out- management insisting it would hurt the band, and Louis took it roughly, he _always_ took it roughly, wanting to show off Harry as his to the rest of the world, not just their loved ones.

He hated not being able to shout his love to the world, detested that everyone thought Harry was still single.

Harry hadn’t wanted to have the conversation, begging Louis not to bring it up, but Louis hadn’t listened, and now was unhappy.

They were still in the meeting, with Harry and Louis on opposite sides of the table (Liam had separated them, knowing they wouldn’t pay attention if they were next to each other), so Harry pulled out his phone, thumbs moving across the lit up screen stealthily.

**_You’re the BooBear to my Hazza, and that’s all that matters, LouBear. xx._ **

Louis squirmed in his seat a few minutes later, trying inconspicuously to retrieve his phone from tight pants, and Harry watched as he tried to read the text sneakily.

Louis read it once, twice, and three times before looking up at Harry, giving the curly-haired lad the most blinding smile.

His grin didn’t leave his face for the rest of the meeting, and from then on, Harry decided to make it a game, trying to get Louis to smile from just a simple text.

As Harry thought back on the times when Louis’ smile stuck out, there were four other times that came to mind.

_They were busy, swamped with work- interviews, concerts, travelling- and all of the boys were exhausted, forgetting how tiring tours were._

_Harry was twenty-eight now, and it seemed, even as the youngest, his body wasn’t able to travel as well as it used to._

_Louis, at the age of thirty, was faring even worse, dark circles sagged under his eyes and he was snappy, sassy as weariness hung heavy on his shoulders._

_Harry recalled their first tour, when Louis was all smiles and giggles and pranks, a never-ending ball of energy, and compared it to this one, when he had barely seen a single real smile from the older lad._

**_Hey husband :)_ **

_Harry waited for Louis to read his text, and the reward was instant, a smile gracing Louis’ face almost immediately._

_They were recently married, and both men loved using the term as often as they could, the reminder that they were married, that they were husbands, enough to lighten their hearts._

_***_

_Louis was trying to appease their screaming daughter, Natalie, his soothing tones fighting with the harsh cries of their two-year old._

_While Harry found the scene quite funny, holding back giggles as he flipped grilled cheese sandwiches on the stove, he knew Louis was at his last straw, his patience wearing thin._

_So, after turning the stove off with a flick, he pulled his phone out, fully aware that he could just tell Louis, but wanting to see his husband’s reaction._

_“Who are you texting, Haz?” Louis asked, eyes glaring a little as he watched Harry slip his phone back in his pants._

_Harry just smirked cheekily, enjoying how Louis’ eyes narrowed and cheeks flushed angrily._

**_It’s almost naptime ;)_ **

_“Oh thank god,” Louis sighed after reading Harry’s text. He looked back at Harry, “Naptime can’t come soon enough.”_

_***_

_It was Louis’ fortieth birthday, and their house was packed with friends and family._

_By now, Louis was used to receiving texts from Harry, especially when other people were around._

_Harry saw Louis fake smile, watching his husband painfully grin at their guests and he knew exactly what was wrong, but how do you stop aging?_

_“Hazza, I’m old!” Louis had exclaimed earlier, tugging at his clothes and frowning at the wrinkles in his skin._

_Harry tried to appease his husband, whispering loving words into his ear and tugging him back to bed, but Louis didn’t seem to believe it, feeling as if turning forty was the end of his youth._

_Finally, the men of One Direction managed to escape from the crowd of guests for a little while, slipping into a hidden room and reminiscing on the things they did when they were younger._

_Louis mouth turned into a frown, all of the memories of their years as a young boy band just making him feel even older, and Harry hated seeing him so unhappy._

**_While we’re reminiscing, just remember…you’re my life, my voice, my reason to be. <3_ **

_Harry knew the text was cheesy, quoting lyrics from their very first album, but when Louis smiled up at him, a real smile for the first time that day, he knew he would do the tackiest things just to keep that grin on Louis’ face._

_***_

_Liam was sick, like painfully sick._

_He didn’t just have a cold, nor was it something he would just recover from easily._

_No, his kidney problems were back, and while all the boys, men now, knew Liam had problems with his kidneys in his younger day, none of them had really thought they would come back with older age._

_Niall was taking it the hardest, as he was closest with Liam out of all of the boys, but it wasn’t easy, knowing they really were older, not just young teens touring around the world._

_Liam had undergone treatment, and the doctors had high hopes for him, saying there was an extremely high chance that he’d recover and be able to live a full, healthy life, but there was that nagging thought, the fact that there was a chance he might not be okay, and it stuck with all of the boys._

_So, naturally, they were all nervous, crowded in Liam’s hospital room, waiting for the doctor’s results._

_Liam had asked them there, stating they began this together, and it needed to end together._

_How could you say no to that?_

_And as the doctor relayed the news that Liam was recovery fully and would be okay, narrowly missing a deathly sickness, all of the boys sagged in relief._

**_I love you, Lou._ **

_Harry texted, trembling slightly at the thought of losing Louis, knowing there would be a day in the future when they would have to say goodbye forever._

_It was scary, this thought, and Harry didn’t want to think about it, but Liam’s close call just reminded him how precious life really was._

_And as Louis smiled his blinding, beautiful, lovely smile, Harry was so grateful and appreciative for everything in his life- his friends, his family, his band of brothers, and especially, Louis._

The game continued, and Louis’ smile never failed to bring a smile onto Harry’s face.

There was just something burning behind the gleeful grin Louis smiled, and it took a while for Harry to realize what it was- _lovelovelove-_ and when he did, he smiled so brightly at Louis that his lover, his husband, his best friend had no choice but to smile widely back.

~O~

10\. His Humor

The first thing Harry hated about Louis was his humor.

It probably came from a place hidden away in the deepest confines of his heart because at the age of 16, he was serious and didn’t like be laughed at.

His parents were just recently divorced and the wounds were still fresh.

He didn’t believe in love, not the lasting kind.

Sure, people loved each other every day, but it was the “hey I love you” kind of love and it was easily broken.

So when he met Louis at the X-factor, he hated it, absolutely detested Louis’ easy smile and stupid but somehow funny jokes.

It was infuriating how the boy just laughed about everything and treated life like one, big, huge joke.

It wasn’t that Harry didn’t want to smile because he did, and that was the problem.

He didn’t know _how_.

But Louis, Louis knew how to laugh and smile and joke and he was _so funny_ and made each moment enjoyable and Harry resisted it, at first, because if someone was that facetious, that funny, that easy to _love_ what would stop him from leaving.

Louis could choose _anyone_ and would break Harry’s heart so easily because he was just so damn lovable.

So, Harry resisted and resisted until he didn’t have the strength to resist any longer.

And he let it go.

He let Louis into his life with opened arms and a big smile and Louis taught him that life was better in this way, with a joke and a giggle, it was happier.

Louis never lost his humor, never failed to make Harry laugh, not one day from when they were nameless faces in the crowd to when they were the biggest boy band since the Beatles to when they were sixty, seventy, eighty years old did Louis ever fail to make Harry laugh.

It was because of his humor, his innate personality to make others happy, he just, he had this _thing_ , and it flowed enigmatically through Louis and made it so that the older lad could just make people laugh.

Harry always laughed the loudest.

He would throw his head back, giggling uncontrollably at something Louis would whisper in his ear or scream out to the world.

It felt so good being around Louis.

Louis’ humor was contagious, catching and reeling in any innocent bystanders, Harry included.

The last thing Harry loved about Louis was his humor.

Epilogue:

 

When he finished his list, he put it in a scrapbook, binding it and placing the list next to an arrangement of pictures, some of just Louis, some of the two of them, some from their X-factor days, basically, pictures of their entire life.

It took hours, and he had to be sneaky, not wanting Louis to see the scrapbook before it was finished.

Harry didn’t know when he decided to do so, but he enlisted the help of the other boys, asking them to give the scrapbook to Louis when he passed away.

He knew the day would come, no one lived forever, but he hoped, with the help of the scrapbook, that Louis would feel forever young.

The first page began with a letter.

_Dear Louis,_

_I’m not sure what else can be said at this point other than I love you. I love you so fucking much and by the time you’re reading this I’ll be gone. I hate that, knowing I’m gone and you’re still there without me but it also makes me so happy because it’s you and life itself is you._

_I may have stolen the idea of a list from you, but the scrapbook idea was all mine. So, here’s my own list of 10 things I love about you, and while there’s no way I could possibly write all of the things I love about you, these are some of the ones that come to mind._

_Just remember, I love you, always and forever._

_See you soon._

_Love,_

_Hazza_

Of course, if Louis were to pass before him, he would give the book to his husband, but he wanted to leave something behind in the case it was the opposite, something to be remembered by.

He left a cd, one of him singing ‘Follow Me’ by Uncle Cracker, at the end of the scrapbook, knowing that Louis would need his voice when he was gone.

And with that, he closed the book, hiding it in a spot only him, Liam, Niall, and Zayn knew about, before joining his husband, ready to enjoy the rest of his life to the fullest, content and satisfied as he knew there would be a day when he had to leave Earth, but so happy and grateful because what more could he have asked for?

He had a family, three brothers, a full career, and most importantly, his best friend, support system, and lover.

There was nothing more Harry could have asked for, and as he sighed into Louis’ touch, the feeling just as wonderful and new and magnificent as when they were young and just falling in love, he couldn’t help but swell with that one feeling- _love_.

~O~


End file.
